Withdrawn
by veiledndarkness
Summary: He was supposed to be there for him. Non pairing, technically.


Author: veiledndarkness

Title: Withdrawn

Rating: PG for language

Pairing: None really. Think of it as pre-slash, I suppose.

Summary: He was supposed to be there for him.

Warnings: Usual disclaimer. Not mine, never were, never will be.

ooooo

Evelyn folded her hands neatly on top of her handbag, her white hair nearly glowing in the fading sunshine of the late afternoon. She'd been escorted to the waiting room by a guard who gave her a grim, yet somehow polite smile as he stood by the door, hands resting comfortably behind his back.

Some time later, a buzzer sounded, and the door on the opposite side of the room opened. Evelyn tilted her head, a warm smile for Bobby as he was led to the scarred, wooden table. Bobby sat down, weary exhaustion clear on his face. The second guard left, leaving them mostly alone in the room, the first guard far away enough for some privacy.

"Ma..." Bobby said softly, his voice worn and rough. Evelyn blinked back the tears that threatened and smiled again. "I know I said I'd be here earlier, but I had a bit of delay," she apologized. Bobby nodded, his fingers picking at the table. "S'fine," he mumbled.

"How're you feeling?" she asked. Bobby shrugged with one shoulder. "Clean," he said, feigning nonchalance. She nodded slowly. "Good," she said. "Jerry wanted to come with but I needed him to stay at the house for Jack's sake."

Bobby looked at her, his eyes widening slightly. "Jack?" he said thickly.

Evelyn felt her heart ache for Bobby, the look of pain in his eyes. "He'll be fine," she said soothingly. "He had a bad nightmare last night, and didn't want to let go this morning is all. Jerry's with him, he'll be just fine."

Bobby stared at the chipped wood, his face pale and uneasy. "S'posed to be there for him," he said. "He's...he needs..." he trailed off, his shoulders tensing. Evelyn fumbled for a tissue in her handbag and dabbed at her eyes delicately. She cleared her throat.

"I keep finding him on your bed," she said quietly. "He won't sleep on his own right now." Bobby let out a small sound of distress, guilt flooding him. "Let him," he whispered. "Let him if he wants. Anything...anything he wants."

"He has one of your jackets," she said with a sad smile. "He wears it all the time." Bobby leaned forward and cradled his head in his hands. "God...just stop Ma...please..." he shivered."I can't...can't hear this...stop..." he pleaded. Evelyn sat back, swallowing over the lump in her throat.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm not trying to hurt you, Bobby." He looked at her, tears shimmering in his eyes. "It's so hard, Ma, it's too fuckin' hard. I...I'm s'posed to be there for him," he said. "It never hurt this bad before."

She passed him some tissue silently, waiting until he had calmed down a bit. "Bobby, you need to listen, listen closely," she said. "Jack needs you right now. He's completely withdrawn from everything. Some days it's a miracle that I can even get food into him. He's regressed so much that he won't even talk; he's signing and asking for you. If this is the wake-up call that you need than so be it, Bobby Mercer," she said firmly.

Bobby nodded, his eyes dark with pain. "You got off easy this time," Evelyn said. "Two months of rehab and community service? That judge could have put you away for a lot longer. Two months, and Jack is back to where he started. Has it gotten through to you yet?" she said, driving home the truth to Bobby.

He swallowed; his throat aching. "Yeah," he whispered. "I gotta stay clean for him." Evelyn sighed and reached over the table. She took one of Bobby's worn hands in hers, her thumb stroking his skin slowly. "Not just for him, though Lord knows how much he needs you right now. You have to want to be clean for yourself; you have to really want this, Bobby. I know you're capable of so much more than this," she said gently.

"You always think I'm better than I am," he said bitterly. "I think that because it's true," she said. "You tell yourself you're not good enough, that you don't deserve anything better than pain."

"I'm not the only one," Evelyn said after a long moment of silence. "Jack thinks the world of you, you're everything to him. He's so world weary, Bobby. He's only ten, and his eyes look dead without you there." Bobby shivered, looking at their linked hands. "He's signin' again?" he asked softly.

Evelyn nodded sadly. "It's that odd way of moving his fingers," she said. "I had a lot of difficulty explaining it to Jerry." She smiled faintly. "He thought I meant real sign language." Bobby's lips twitched. "Moron," he said affectionately. He sighed then. "Tell...tell Jack he can keep my jacket, ok?" he murmured. "I made 'em a little something too."

Evelyn looked at him and smiled widely. "You did?" she said. Bobby nodded, somewhat embarrassed. "In that stupid craft class," he said with much disdain. "I thought...I dunno, maybe he'll like it?" He took the folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. She took it and placed it in her purse. "It's only three more weeks, Bobby," she said when she saw the look in his eyes. "We'll still be there when you're sent home."

Bobby stood up, the guard watching them closely. "Hug him for me?" he said, his voice muffled by her hair as they hugged. "I'll even read him that dumb book he likes so much when I get back." Evelyn hugged him hard and kissed his cheek. "Dr. Seuss is never dumb," she said mock sternly.

"Bye, Ma," he said when the guard came to escort him back to his room. She waved, holding back her tears until she was alone in her car, falling silently down her cheeks.

ooooo

When she arrived home, it was no surprise to find Jack curled up on Bobby's bed, staring blankly at the wall. "Jackie," she said softly. Jack blinked, dragging his eyes to hers slowly. "I have something for you," she said, taking the folded paper out and placing it on the sheet beside him. He blinked again, his eyes dull and lifeless. "Bobby asked me to give it to you," she added. Jack leaned forward a bit, eyeing her, his eyes flicking down to see the folded square near him. She nodded. "Go on...it's yours, he asked me to make sure you got it. He told me how much he misses you and can't wait to read with you again," she said gently.

Jack moved one hand, his fingers moving in a small circle. "Alone?" she guessed. Jack closed his eyes and nodded a tiny bit. "Alright," she said. "I'm going to start dinner now ok? I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." She touched his forehead, reassured slightly when he didn't flinch back from her.

oooo

Jack waited until she was gone before lifting the blanket back and picking up the folded paper. He unfolded it, his nose twitching at the smell of smoke and something else, that unknown smell that he inhaled each time he put Bobby's jacket on. The lines were brief, a short letter to him, just random thoughts that Bobby had scribbled as they occurred to him.

The last line, the one that read _'I'll be home before you know it, Jackie,'_ made him tear up. He clutched the paper close to his chest, tears slipping down his face silently. He made a muted sound of pain. "Bobby," he whispered, his voice rusty from disuse.

ooooo


End file.
